


Room of Angels

by BicMomma



Series: Shades of Green [11]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist (Anime 2003)
Genre: Character Study, Family, Gen, Introspection, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-03
Updated: 2018-04-03
Packaged: 2019-04-17 23:09:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14199660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BicMomma/pseuds/BicMomma
Summary: Time seems to stand still as Alphonse journeys into an abandoned room, learning about a brother he never truly knew.





	Room of Angels

He didn't find it until they were both gone. He wouldn't have ever imagined it existed. But as Alphonse stepped inside, time almost seemed to stand still.

Beside the murky window an ordinary bed sat, its wood frame scarred by white scratches. A post at the foot lacked an inch of reaching the dusty timber floor and needed the steel sewing bobbin sitting underneath. The jewel toned comforter lay smooth on the mattress with no more than three indigo throw pillows on top.

_His favorite color was blue_ , Al thought as his eyes moved toward the shelves dominating the opposite wall. He scanned the titles, smiling faintly when he noticed they were all alchemy text similar to ones that once sat in their father's study.

_He was tidy and liked to read..._

Al turned and gazed at the large armoire by the door. The mahogany wood gleamed under layers of dust. The young man could tell before the owner left, it was well cared for. He gingerly opened the doors and came face to face with a reflection of himself.

Eyes that had seen much glanced at the bare wire hangers suspended from a bar. They quietly clanged together as Al swept them to one side to better see the faint image of letters.

I –W-A-S- H-E-R-E

He looked down and spied a small box hidden in a dark corner. Al drew it out into the light and peered inside.

_Toys?_

A well loved bear peered up at him next to a small wooden carriage with a missing wheel. Frowning, he carefully laid the contents in front of him.

Next to the highly adored bear and broken carriage sat a Jack-in-the-box with peeling red paint. When Al turned the crank at the side, a mournful tune played that seemed vaguely familiar to him. When the lid snapped open, a headless Jack sprang out.

_He didn't like how_ Jack _looked at him._

A deflated ball that tinkled dully sat next to a group of toy soldiers that were tied together. He drew one out from the bunch and noted it was painted in the very image of former Fuehrer King Bradley.

_He was artistic._

The revelation wasn't a very surprising one to Alphonse as he placed the toy solider back with the others. He recalled various instances where the owner of the room displayed his artistry. The way he moved, the way he fought, the way he dressed all revealed his creativity.

Alphonse's gaze moved away from the toy soldiers and onward to the next thing in line: a sketchbook. He picked up the plain booklet and flipped to the first page. A flower with delicate lavender blossoms stared up at him. He smiled running a finger across the page and, so exquisite was the detail, Alphonse was surprised it was rough and not petal soft

He flipped to another page and nearly dropped the book, his mouth dropping in surprise.

_It's Mom!_

She was the very image of all the sweet and dear memories Alphonse had of her. Her chestnut brown hair was pulled back and draped over one shoulder. Her eyes distantly gazed out from the page, a mix of hope and sadness perfectly captured on her beautiful face.

Al turned to another page and saw a sketch of him as an infant asleep in bed. Another page revealed his brother Edward and himself sitting in their yard as children, their mother standing off to the side hanging laundry in her favorite lavender dress.

On the following page was the cold burnt out husk of his and Edward's home. Al could almost hear crackling from the blacken timbers as he gazed at the picture.

_He must have been curious about us to have watched us for that long._

Alphonse turned the page and was greeted with a detailed portrait of Ed. His hair was in a golden braid, so his brother knew this picture was done after Ed had gotten his automail. His once warm topaz eyes glared out from the page with startling intensity that came to those with a mission. In the corner, Al noticed writing.

_"I once spied a boy with hair of gold_

_Whose fiery eyes matched the fire inside._

_His life was hard with secrets untold_

_He marched on with his brother by his side._

_I once spied a man still much a boy_

_Whose journeys had him loved by all. —"_

The next line was erased and marked out with such vehemence, Alphonse couldn't read the stanza clearly. But the final line stood out clear as day, leaving the teen gaping in surprise.

_"This valiant and brave fool of metal"_

Al reexamined the portrait with new eyes. He saw the attention to each detail of Edward's face affectionately recreated. The fierceness of his expression, the haunted look to his eyes Ed always hid behind bravado.

Al flipped to the next page and found a picture of him when he was inside a suit of armor. Instead of using harsh lines of pencil and ink like the previous pictures, Al's was done completely in soft water colors. He was knelt in a field of pastel flowers, with a single bloom in his gauntleted hands. The sky was a blend of pinks and orange. Al was breathless with the gentle affection within the page.

_He actually_ admired _Edward and me._

The next few pages were black and white caricatures of people Al knew. One page had a small doodle of Roy Mustang proclaiming he was raising a mini-skirt army. Another was a gray cloud with a cigarette protruding chasing a group of female stick figures. In the corner of the same page was a book with glasses with the name Sheska underneath.

Alphonse even saw three caricatures of himself and Ed. One was a hastily drawn shrimp wearing Ed's jacket yelling at a random cat eating from a tuna can with Al's name. The other two caricatures were variations of the first.

_He always had a biting sense of humor._

Alphonse closed the sketchbook and began placing Envy's treasured objects gently back into the small box he found them in. The homunculi's hand painted toy soldiers. The headless Jack in the box that played Dante's song. The airless ball his Master and he played fetch with. The toy carriage and stuff bear from a childhood that was no truly his own.

Time resumed as he restored the box to its previous location, closed the armoire and left the room.


End file.
